Prohibition: Temptation Vs. Morality Ken Burns, producer of Prohibition states that “by 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year”, which is three times more than the modern annual consumption. Many organizations believed alcohol was the culprit behind the lack of moral standards and the increase in abuse, whether that be domestic or internal; but in the attempt to outlaw the sale of alcohol, the government saw a rise in organized crime and bootlegging, along with other consequences. Author of the article “When Temptation Edged Out Temperance: Raising a Wry Toast to Prohibition’s Failure,” William Grimes states that “[f]or starters, many people liked to drink, and if they couldn't get
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In 1874, Francis Willard formed The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, or the WCTU, to protest that alcohol be sold in moderation, eventually leading to its abolishment as a whole; to lobbying for local laws prohibiting alcohol to be enacted; or to creating anti-alcohol campaigns to be taught in schools. The followers viewed alcohol as “the underlying source of a long list of social ills”, and believed that it needed regulations to prevent domestic abuse, in their attempt for the “perfect society”, as they claimed it’s “the only moral solution”. By appealing to domestic abuse and helpless children, the Temperance movement placed a lot of guilt on politicians, and implicated much of their argument on the Bible and it’s moral codes. Burns utilizes this by implementing the religious aspects of the campaign to create a relation between the viewer and the members of the …show more content…
With most of America dry (the lack of alcohol in society), restaurants, whose main source of income came from selling liquor, began to fail; and theaters failed.
The nation saw an increase in crime rates and illegal saloons, known as speakeasies, beginning to appear all over the country. Media footage of flapper girls and parties throughout the documentary created an upbeat atmosphere for the rebellion against Prohibition. However, Burns neglected to add additional footage of the more ominous side to the movement, which, from this, his argument is pushed, but not quite valid. The later parts of the documentary describe the events that led-up to the repealment of the eighteenth amendment, and discuss the views on both sides of the argument as the movement progressed. Primarily focusing on the consequences, Burns includes statistics of crime and tragic events that took place during the era. Additionally, the placement of historical facts is difficult to refute, which creates a secure barrier for the producer’s
In 1874, Francis Willard formed The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, or the WCTU, to protest that alcohol be sold in moderation, eventually leading to its abolishment as a whole; to lobbying for local laws prohibiting alcohol to be enacted; or to creating anti-alcohol campaigns to be taught in schools. The followers viewed alcohol as “the underlying source of a long list of social ills”, and believed that it needed regulations to prevent domestic abuse, in their attempt for the “perfect society”, as they claimed it’s “the only moral solution”. By appealing to domestic abuse and helpless children, the Temperance movement placed a lot of guilt on politicians, and implicated much of their argument on the Bible and it’s moral codes. Burns utilizes this by implementing the religious aspects of the campaign to create a relation between the viewer and the members of the …show more content…
With most of America dry (the lack of alcohol in society), restaurants, whose main source of income came from selling liquor, began to fail; and theaters failed.
The nation saw an increase in crime rates and illegal saloons, known as speakeasies, beginning to appear all over the country. Media footage of flapper girls and parties throughout the documentary created an upbeat atmosphere for the rebellion against Prohibition. However, Burns neglected to add additional footage of the more ominous side to the movement, which, from this, his argument is pushed, but not quite valid. The later parts of the documentary describe the events that led-up to the repealment of the eighteenth amendment, and discuss the views on both sides of the argument as the movement progressed. Primarily focusing on the consequences, Burns includes statistics of crime and tragic events that took place during the era. Additionally, the placement of historical facts is difficult to refute, which creates a secure barrier for the producer’s